


Rise Above (the Doom and Gloom)

by delighted



Series: A Cure for Doom and Gloom [6]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:20:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6351343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delighted/pseuds/delighted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny and Steve have a weekend just for them... sun and sand and beach and being together....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friday Evening

**Author's Note:**

> Part Six, sooner than I'd originally thought, but after a little bit of a break for some TBM & BYS.... Apologies for the wait, to all who voted for this for the start of the week... and to those who voted for "anything!" well, you got a little bit of everything, so I hope that was ok. :-)
> 
> Once more, thank you for all of your comments and encouragement! It really means a lot to me. And, yes, it does help! Comments are like fuel on the fire of my writing.... So, if you're loving this, and tell me, you'll get more sooner-- Part Seven is already a lot further along than I'd thought it would be, and it's almost all because of the comments I got on Part Five. Just saying.....
> 
> Anyhow, it's three chapters: the first today, the second on Sunday, and the third on Tuesday.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Picking up right where we left the boys on the beach Friday evening.....

Danny wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there before he saw Steve almost back to land. He came out of the water and walked up to Danny, smiled at him, then sat in the sand at Danny's feet, leaning his head on Danny’s knee. Danny put his hand on Steve’s head, and stroked that soft, bristly hair. He was fairly sure _he_ smirked, and he laughed to himself about that.

“Danny... I’m sorry.”

“Hey, babe, what have I said about that?”

“No, but let me?” He started, but didn’t move. “Let me try and explain.”

“Yeah, of course, babe,” Danny said softly, and kept running his fingers through Steve’s wet hair.

“You were right, I did kind of freak out Wednesday morning. Well, ok, maybe I was already not in the best place? Because, yes, I was _not_ looking forward to you being gone that night—but I really _did_ think I’d be ok.” He paused. Took a deep breath. “But then, when you told me about lunch with Melissa...” he sighed. “I don’t know. I...” he sighed again. “I freaked out, I guess.”

Danny waited for a bit, but it seemed that was all Steve was going to say. “Why, babe?” And, really at this point, Danny was feeling rather “nothing to lose,” so yeah, he was going to push.

Steve laughed bitterly. “Really?” And he sat up, and turned to look at Danny, which actually startled Danny, because he knew Steve did better with no eye contact. But Steve looked at him now. Intently. “Ok. Because I was jealous.”

Danny almost wanted to cry. “Babe...” he started, but choked a bit as he was finding his emotions got the better of him.

Steve, amazingly, continued. “It’s easier, with her. Everything is easier with her. I always imagined you’d go back. I just didn’t know when. So, when you told me you were having lunch with her, I kind of just assumed we were heading in that direction.” He sighed, and smiled sadly, and kind of sat there, looking expectantly at Danny. “And then when you didn’t come back after lunch, and you didn’t call me....” He shrugged.

Biting his lips together, Danny swallowed and tried to gather himself to respond coherently. A tear fell down his cheek, and Steve reached up to wipe it away. “Babe,” he sighed. “All this time... all the time I’ve been here, all this time we’ve been... whatever....” He sighed. “I’ve been going further and further away from being able to go back... _at all_. The longer I’m with you....” he stopped, and more tears fell. “The harder it is to be away.”

Steve smiled. “I get that now.” And he pulled Danny down, out of his chair and into Steve’s lap on the sand.

Danny melted into Steve’s arms. “I am so sorry I didn’t talk to you more. Didn’t tell you... I should have told you.”

Steve shook his head slightly, and brushed the hair away from Danny’s face. “You didn’t know.”

“But I should have,” Danny started.

“No, I mean... you didn’t really know how that lunch would play out. You were leaving it open, to stay, or go back....” And it was kind of a question, and kind of not, and Danny was a little stunned.

“I told myself that, yeah. But. I think I knew.”

Steve sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up with hindsight. You needed to figure it out in your own time.” And he smiled somewhat proudly, and Danny laughed.

“At least I know you listen when I talk,” Danny said, bemused.

“Always,” Steve whispered, as he kissed Danny’s head. “Now, let me feed you. Grilled fish?”

Danny smiled. “Sounds great, babe.” Danny got up, and attempted to dust the sand off himself. “Ugh, babe. Sand everywhere.”

Steve smirked and looked again like he wanted to pick Danny up and toss him in the ocean. “Yeah?” He said, eyeing Danny heatedly.

“No,” Danny replied. “You have to feed me or I will get crabby. I’m going to go shower. Gah. Why don’t you have an outdoor shower? You should have an outdoor shower.”

“I can spray you off with the hose,” Steve offered, completely unhelpfully.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Cook.” He stepped away from Steve, who was heading for him like he really was going to toss him in the ocean. “Bring me food. I’ll be inside. Where it’s civilized.”

Steve laughed and went to get the grill set up.

While Danny showered, and maybe he indulged in a more lengthy shower than normal, but there was the sand, after all.... But he kept running that conversation around in his head. He was stunned at Steve’s openness. He didn’t quite know what to make of it, but he’d take it. Maybe this weekend would be more than just getting Steve (and himself) relaxed and healing from the week.

By the time he was done and dry, Steve had the fish on the grill, and was looking happy and at ease. Danny laughed a little at how the stereotype of man, grill, fire, meat really fit Steve well. Danny waved to him from the lanai, then headed down to grab a beer and make a salad. Then, he took a risk, and set the dining room table. And lit the candles. He caught himself smirking and bit his lip, swallowed some tears, downed the rest of his beer, and grabbed another. Walking out onto the lanai to ask Steve how much longer, he saw that Steve was already heading up with the fish.

“Perfect timing, babe,” he called. “You dry and at least a little not sandy? I set the table in the dining room....” And Danny was a tiny bit nervous about how he’d take that, but was pleased when Steve smiled hugely.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Steve said, as he took the fish to the kitchen. Danny doubted Steve’s idea of “good” met with his own, but he didn’t press it.

He followed Steve into the kitchen. “More beer, babe? Or should we switch to wine?”

Steve turned to face Danny with a playful grin. “Or a cocktail?”

Danny smiled. “Sure, babe, that was the plan, wasn’t it. Something quick? Since the fish is ready....”

Steve smirked. “The fish can wait,” he called blithely over his shoulder as he got the ingredients out for a classic daiquiri. Danny stood in the corner, arms crossed, one hand held to his face to cover his smirk, as he watched the Navy man deftly craft the classic rum drink. Danny’d never really had a thing for sailors before, and he was beginning to wonder why not.

When he finished, Steve walked slowly over to where Danny was standing, and handed him the drink, expression somewhere between sultry and expectant. Danny laughed at that, but then he tasted the drink, and he just about fell over.

“Babe, that is fantastic!” He took another sip. “I’ve never... wow. How can it be that good? It’s so simple!”

Steve, of course, smirked in response. “Navy secret,” he whispered, and leaned in to kiss Danny’s cheek. “Goes great with fish!” He called as he grabbed his drink and the fish and headed to the table.

The fish was cooked perfectly, and Danny wasn’t at all surprised, and it went wonderfully with the daiquiri, and Danny was sure he was flushed, and he was feeling far too fond, and already certain he was going to develop some sort of sentimental thing about daiquiris and grilled fish. He sighed and laughed silently to himself while Steve told vague but entertaining stories about the Navy and how knife skills could be applied to limes and fish as well as less appetizing things. Danny couldn’t think when he’d seen Steve so... he wasn’t sure what to call it, but almost lighthearted, in his story telling. It occurred to him that they both tended to share stories about their past mainly when it involved some tragedy or heartbreaking event or loss. That, he decided, was something they absolutely needed to change, because this was beautiful. He smiled again, and Steve must have sensed something because he stopped talking.

“What?” He asked, suspiciously. “What’s that look about?”

Danny shook his head. “I just am enjoying this, babe,” he said, trying to not grin like a goof.

“Me, too,” Steve replied. “Thanks, Danny. For all of this.” He paused, and smiled. “Ready for dessert?”

Danny couldn’t stop smiling, and he was afraid if he tried to speak, he’d split his face on the grin, so he just nodded, and followed Steve into the kitchen, bringing a stack of dishes. He rinsed them off and loaded the dishwasher while Steve started dessert. By the time Danny turned around, Steve had a container of really nice vanilla ice cream sitting on the counter, a pile of sliced bananas, and butter and brown sugar melting on the stove. He added a pinch of cinnamon, then the bananas, and let that go for a while. He smiled at Danny, and poured them each shots of the rum. Then he removed the pan from the heat, added a good amount of rum, returned it to the flame, and it flared up spectacularly.

“Another Navy secret?” Danny asked.

“Don’t be silly. Open flames on a ship? Very bad idea,” Steve said sternly.

Danny bit back a laugh, lest he be scolded for not taking maritime safety seriously enough.

Steve got out the tray they used for taking things upstairs, and loaded it with the bananas (which he’d transferred to a bowl), the ice cream, and the shots of rum. “Ok, let’s go,” he said with a huge smile.

Danny followed him up the stairs, and if he maybe paused to enjoy the view a bit more lingeringly than he typically did, well, no one knew.

Steve scooped the ice cream directly into the bowl of bananas, and handed Danny a spoon. “You don’t mind sharing, do you?” He asked, and that tone his voice took on... Danny shivered just a tiny little bit. Certain he’d blushed, Danny bit his lip.

“Not at all, babe,” he smiled.

“Good,” Steve said firmly, as he sat back, hugging Danny to his side, holding the bowl for them... which left him no hands with which to eat the ice cream. Huh. Interesting move, Danny mused.

“Don’t you want a bite?” Danny asked, tauntingly, as he made a bit of a show of licking his spoon.

“You’re a tease, you know that?” Steve asked, and he handed Danny the bowl and grabbed his own spoon.

Danny smiled. “You’re one to talk, babe.” And he shook his head and laughed lightly.

“Me?” Gasped Steve in mock horror.

“Yes, you,” Danny sighed. “With your too-tight shirts, which you take off so readily, and your infernal cargo pants which hug your ass just so, yet always need tugging up....”

Steve’s eyebrows went up on that. “Oh, you like that, do you?” And, yes, he smirked. “But if you want to talk about tight trousers...” and he waggled his eyebrows in a way that should have made Danny laugh, but instead made him blush. Steve leaned back, taking the bowl back from Danny and spooning a terrifyingly large bite of bananas and ice cream into his mouth. “But I think the worst are your shirts, which always look like they’re about to pop the buttons. How much time do you spend sewing buttons back on?”

Danny licked his lips and nodded. “Well played, babe.” They both laughed a little and leaned against each other. “So, I guess we’ve established we’ve both noticed....” He trailed off, uncertain of how to proceed. He took a bite from the bowl, and chanced a look at Steve.

His eyes were soft, his expression thoughtful, and so open. Danny felt like he could fall into those eyes and drown. “Yeah,” Steve whispered. “We have.”

Danny gulped.

Steve leaned forward, put the bowl and the spoons down, picked up the shot glasses, and handed one to Danny. Locking eyes with him, he clinked their glasses together. “To noticing,” he whispered, and downed his shot.

Danny sipped on his more slowly, watching Steve’s throat as he swallowed.

Steve set his glass down, and leaned back, kicking his bare feet up on the table.

“Ugh, babe, sand!” Danny scolded, and Steve smirked.

They cuddled for a while, and it felt so different, so much more open, so much more relaxed, Danny was sure he’d never get used to how wonderful it made him feel. But then he started to worry, just a little, about how on earth they were going to make this work.

“Is this going to be... awkward?” He asked softly, and paid close attention to Steve’s body as he reacted, but there was no tension, no shift, only ease and comfort, with maybe a hint of possessiveness (which was not something new, but Danny was delighted to enjoy it without conflict).

“Only if we let it,” Steve responded reasonably. “Which I do not plan on doing.” He smiled down at Danny, who nearly smirked in response. He had to admit the man had a point.

“Our problem is always when we don’t talk,” Danny reflected. “So, as long as we make sure we talk...” and he looked intently at Steve, hoping that he’d get the response he wanted.

Steve nodded in acknowledgment. “Ok, Danny. I promise, I will try, ok? I will try.”

And Danny was still so tired, and he was emotionally drained, and sixteen other similar things, so if he started crying, well, it was really to be expected.

Soon after that, Danny sent Steve to shower, saying something about sand and bed and no way. By the time Steve crawled into bed next to him, he was already dozing softly, but when he felt Steve beside him, he grinned and tugged him close. Steve wrapped his arms around Danny like some sort of sea monster, pressing feathery kisses to his forehead, the side of his head, the corners of his eyes. Danny sighed, somewhat dramatically, but overly fondly, curled into Steve’s side like it was where he belonged, and more quickly than he could have imagined possible, fell asleep.

He awoke once while it was still dark out, and found he was still wrapped tightly in Steve’s arms. He smiled to himself, stroked the arm under his hand, and breathed out a soft “I love you” to the darkness. His heart was racing a little, and he wasn’t totally sure if it was fear, excitement, nerves... probably a little of all of it. Kono’s words still echoed in his head, along with Melissa’s and Grace’s. This was big, this was important... he felt tasked with a huge responsibility. And yet, Steve had chosen him. He wanted to laugh, but bit his tongue on the impulse. Add “giddy” to that mix. He felt a little like he might take off, the way his head was spinning. Focusing on Steve’s breathing, he brought himself slowly into a regular orbit from which he could see more clearly what he’d set himself up for this weekend. Keeping Steve occupied with his relatively simple goal of two days of swimming, drinking, eating, relaxing.... The whole thing had started as a joke, in a way, because Danny had doubted Steve’s ability to stick to it for a whole week. Just two days, he might, but even that, Danny was kind of skeptical. Still, worst case, they could always go surfing. But Steve had seemed to want it, and maybe it would make up for Maui. _Ugh. Maui_. Danny sighed. There was still part of him that really wanted to know what the hell had been up with Steve that weekend. But there was also part of him that didn’t want to ask. Now that Danny had an inkling of why it was Steve had always kept him from hooking up with women while they were out drinking, he admitted to being that much more curious as to why Steve had gone so crazy on Maui. It took a few more minutes of stewing over that puzzle before Danny realized  _he’d_ been jealous. He laughed at himself, shook his head slightly, and slowly drifted off back to sleep.


	2. Saturday

Unfortunately, and yet probably inevitably, they were awoken in the early morning hours, before it was truly light out, by a phone call. Why the criminal element on the island couldn’t respect their need for a nice relaxing weekend frustrated Danny. But the look Steve gave him, which was something like “I will make this up to you,” kind of helped. And Danny had to admit, he was really looking forward to what might happen when they got home after they finished the case. Which, as it turned out, took most of the day. And was completely exhausting and one of those how-could-people-be-so-stupid-you-almost-wanted-to-bang-your-head-against-the-wall-of-the-interrogation-room kinds of cases. But in the end the result was good, and it ended on kind of a high note, and they had sent the rest of the team home early, and they sat in Steve’s office for a while when they were done, just kind of smiling, and looking at each other.

“We do good work here, eh, partner?” Steve said happily, as he smiled too fondly at Danny from across his desk.

Danny was smiling contentedly and nodding. “Yeah, babe, we really do. Thank you.”

Steve tilted his head in amusement. “Did you just thank me for making you my partner?”

Laughing and leaning back on the sofa Danny bit his lip. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

The smirk that lit Steve’s face was one of his bigger, goofier ones, and he came around the desk to sit next to Danny. “Well,” he said proudly. “That has to be one of the nicer things you’ve ever said to me.” And he slung an arm across the back of the sofa.

Danny sighed, but his heart was warm and he was feeling more than a little happy. “Yeah, ok, babe. But can we go home now? We’ve got a lot of relaxing to catch up on.”

“Yep,” Steve replied. “Good idea.”

*

Though the sun was still up, it wouldn’t be for too much longer, so Steve wanted to swim before they ate. He didn’t need to swim-swim, as they’d gotten plenty of running in during the case, but he did seem to have a minimum daily requirement of salt water, and Danny was feeling more content than he had in a long time. Even work that day had been more satisfying—and less aggravating—than it had been in a long while, he felt. Which was probably something worth thinking about. But for now, he really wanted to focus on Steve. So, he didn’t even have to be asked to join him in the water. They paddled about a little, indulged in some roughhousing, and just generally behaved like children.

“Charlie would love this,” Danny laughed, out of breath, as he paused for a break. “He loves the beach, but the crowds get too much for him so easily...” and he hadn’t really been going anywhere with that thought, but Steve’s face lit up.

“Bring them here next weekend?” He asked, hopefully. “We can swim, build sandcastles, I can pitch the tent on the grass, you could have a sleep out....” And Steve sounded so enthusiastic, Danny’s heart just... well. Salt water was already in his eyes, so it didn’t really matter, but, oh, this was—and maybe the fact that he hadn’t really shared all the Charlie stuff with Melissa was catching up with him, because having Steve on his side with this, well, that was almost too much for his heart to take. He blinked, and the tears fell.

“Oh, babe, that sounds so wonderful,” and he sniffed.

“Yeah?” Steve asked hopefully.

“Yeah, babe. It really does.”

“Ok,” Steve said. “We’ll make that happen.” And he started splashing again, and Danny laughed and realized Steve had just pulled him back from the edge of having been about to be upset about Rachel, and Danny felt overwhelmed by that.

They were both very hungry after the day they’d had, so it wasn’t much longer before they got out and rinsed off with the hose, Danny grousing again about the lack of an outdoor shower, and went to make dinner.

“I was gonna do kebabs, because it’ll be fast, and I’m starving. What do you think?” Steve asked, Danny nodded. “Can you cut the veggies while I make drinks?”

“Just like making salad, babe,” Danny smiled. Steve got the veggies out... and a pineapple. Danny laughed. “I have no idea what to do with that thing, babe,” he said, but his tone was light and fond.

“Danny, man, grilled pineapple is the best!” Steve said sincerely.

“Ok, babe, whatever you say, but I’m not cutting that, I’ll probably cut myself and then you’ll have to take me to the hospital and explain how you tried to kill your partner with tropical fruit.”

“Ok, Danno,” Steve smiled sweetly. “I’ll do it. How about pineapple mojitos to drink?”

Danny pressed his lips together to avoid smirking over Steve in drink-making-mode. “Sounds fun, babe. Sure.”

Danny turned to the veggies and thought to himself that if he was going to cry, this time at least it would be because of the onion.

With his usual precision and focus, Steve disassembled the pineapple, made the most delightful mojito Danny had ever had, and while Danny chopped the veggies, he made a sauce of yogurt, lemon, and fresh herbs, then put together delicious looking skewers of shrimp, steak, onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Then he made skewers of just the pineapple, grabbed a bag of flat breads, and put all the food on the tray, had Danny carry the drinks, and they headed down to the grill.

Thankfully, the food was ready fairly fast, because they were both starving. Not typically a fan of eating on the beach because of sand, Danny found he didn’t mind so much for some reason, and after thinking about it for a bit he decided to blame the mojito, which he was fairly sure was not supposed to have quite so much rum in it. He found himself smiling maybe a little heatedly at Steve as he turned the pineapple skewers while they ate. Digging his toes into the sand he sighed contentedly.

“This is really nice, babe. Grace is always asking for a picnic on the beach," he said, thoughtfully. "And I just....” He smiled. “I’m not usually wild about sand in my food.”

Steve smirked. “Sometimes, Danno, you have to let a little sand in. You know what they say about pearls....” And Danny was half expecting a wink to follow the cheesy line, but Steve just looked honestly and openly at him, and Danny’s heart surprised him by doing yet more new and startling things. He really was past being able to control this, he thought, but realized he didn't want to.

“Yeah, babe,” he whispered.

“So, what do the kids like to eat?” Steve asked, and his interest was so genuine, and Danny remembered that Steve had said he’d really liked having Joanie in the house, and he wondered if having the kids over wasn’t something Steve had been thinking about. That made Danny’s heart thump loudly.

Danny chuckled. “Well, Charlie is still in the I-only-eat-hot-dogs-or-mac-and-cheese phase, I’m afraid. Don’t suppose you can grill mac and cheese, babe?” He teased.

Steve gifted Danny with a lovely glare. “No, but there are some fantastic local grass fed hot dogs we can get,” he said with considerably more enthusiasm than he would have imagined Steve was capable of expressing over a processed meat product.

Appreciating that for what it was, Danny smiled. “That’d be great, babe. Thanks.”

Steve smiled. “It’ll be good, Danny. I promise. Ok, pineapple’s ready, let’s take it up to the house and get the ice cream.” And Danny smiled, because once more Steve had kept him from having time to mope. Steve doused the fire and gathered up their things.

They wound up eating the pineapple, between bites of ice cream right out of the container, while they cleaned the kitchen and put things away, and even Danny admitted it was really nice. Steve went to shower first because he was still faster than Danny, and when Danny came out of his shower, he’d expected to see Steve in bed, as it was quite late. But the bed was empty.

Danny found Steve out on the lanai, sitting in one of the chairs, facing towards the house rather than out to the ocean, looking thoughtful... and gazing with open longing at Danny as he drew near. Pulled, almost by some invisible wire, Danny walked over to Steve and sat on the edge of the table in front of him.

“Hey, babe,” he said, his voice soft, and to his ears, somewhat breathy.

Steve huffed out a slight laugh and sat forward, smirk taking on yet another new intensity, a new flavor, and Danny was captivated. He drew a shaky breath and found himself leaning closer.

“Danny, I...” Steve whispered, looking intently at Danny’s lips, and Danny smiled.

“Yeah, Steve?” And they were both leaning forward, and no one could have said who led it. They moved at same time, at the same pace, as though they were completely and utterly on the same page. And the air wasn’t charged or intense or anything dramatic. It was light, and clear, and airy, and almost heady, and slightly dreamy even, but it was just right and fitting and... inevitable. And Danny felt like he was going to laugh. A soft, sweet, happy, and ok a little bit relieved, laugh. And as soon as their lips met Danny wished they’d done this a lot sooner, but at the same time he knew they’d needed to... well, not be sure, because he was fairly certain they’d both been that a long time ago, but they’d needed to break through some of their crap first was maybe a better way of putting it, and it felt now like they had, although probably just the kiss itself did its own fair share of breaking through. Just the one sweet, light kiss, and they pulled back and looked at each other, and it did feel like they were seeing more clearly, or maybe that was just what it felt like when they weren’t fighting so much against something they both wanted. They sat there and smiled, and laughed a little, and Danny was sure his tears would start falling first, but Steve actually beat him on that one, and boy if that didn’t just push Danny's tears over the edge, and he bit his lip, and said, as they had so many times before, but letting it mean what it really did: “I love you.” And Steve closed his eyes, and more tears spilled down his cheeks.

“I love you, too, Danny.” And he leaned in for another kiss, this one deepening, this one a bit more fueled by the pent up longing, and they pulled apart a little bit breathless, and sat, looking into each other’s eyes, letting the pure joy of having finally allowed themselves that release to wash over them. It was exhilarating and relaxing and cleansing and Danny felt lighter than he had in a long time yet also more grounded and solid. And maybe they were both a little afraid that if they went inside they’d break the spell, or maybe they both needed to feel the weight of this alteration, this shift—needed for it to be celebrated, somehow, marked as something distinct. Something to truly indicate that this meant a change. They were both, at any rate, a bit too aware, too awake, to sleep. But they both also knew they’d move slowly. For now, this was enough, this was too much... this was just right.

So, they settled into the wicker sofa, and they fell against each other, and stayed out on the lanai. They listened to the waves, they held each other, and really savored it, really felt it for what it was, and it was amazing and magical and medicinal and just finally, blessedly, _right_. A few times one or both of them drifted off, but they stayed out there all night long, till the sun started to rise, and once it was up and the sky was golden, Steve stood and held a hand out to Danny, who took it with a smile, and he led them down to the beach and into the water. Steve pulled Danny out to deeper water than Danny usually liked, and Steve held him, and kissed him, and if they cried more, the salty waters mingled together and washed each other away, and it was cleansing, and it felt like a blessing, like a passage, and Danny knew they were leaving so much behind, and he didn’t feel anything other than _rightness_. They held each other with something awfully close to reverence, being allowed to touch so intimately, so much more than ever before, and they smiled, and they laughed a little, and they kissed lightly, and it was tender and patient and loving, and it was wonderful.


	3. Sunday

They rinsed off outside, dried off, and went in for breakfast. Steve made coffee, and Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s chest from behind and held him while he made eggs, and they sat at the dining room table, holding hands, eating breakfast in the warm sunlight, smiling, leaning in for kisses, sitting back and just watching each other, and breathing more deeply, more fully, and more blissfully than either could remember ever breathing.   

“So, what are we going to do today, babe?” Danny asked, after a rather breathless round of kisses. He felt so _light_. Like he was floating above the clouds—and that was not a feeling he had even come close to feeling in a very, very long time. There was probably not much Steve wouldn’t have been able to convince Danny to spend the day doing.

“Will you come out paddle boarding with me?” Steve asked. “You can just sit on mine, I’ll do all the paddling....”

Danny smiled. “Sure, babe. Sounds great.”

He surprised himself with just how much he enjoyed it. Sitting on Steve's board, letting a hand dangle in the water, while Steve paddled them lazily along the shoreline, and he found himself thinking about how it was kind of symbolic of everything with them. Well. When Danny wasn’t fighting it. He began to wonder just a little how their work relationship might change if he let it. But he remembered what Kono had said about them being good for each other, thought about how they balanced each other out, and realized that probably their work relationship wouldn't change at all, and he smiled when he realized what that said—how much that meant. 

After their time in the sun, and with the relatively little sleep they'd had, they were sleepy when they came in from the water, so after they showered, they fell into a familiar routine and snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie. And the novelty of really getting to cuddle up against Steve right from the beginning, without having to be subtle, or pretending that Steve needed it... made Danny so giddy he felt like he might just float away. He was about to press play on a Bond film that Steve had DVR’ed during the week when Steve held him back.

"Let's watch something you want," Steve said, his tone somewhat strange.

"What's that supposed to mean, babe?" Danny asked, puzzled.

"Well, we're always watching what I want, something I like..." Steve explained. "I want to watch something that you want to see."

Danny looked at Steve quizzically. "Babe, I like those things, too, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Danny, but you pick them for me. I know you do, you plan them based on my moods, whatever you think I need... pulling out of...." And yeah, ok, Danny was kind of surprised Steve knew that. 

Danny smiled. "Ok, so, what, you want to know what to show me when I need to be lifted up?" And he was kind of kidding, but he realized by Steve's reaction that he'd actually hit the nail on the head. "Babe, that's so sweet, but honestly, just sitting with you does that for me...." And he trailed off as Steve moved in to kiss him.

"I know," Steve whispered. "I still want more, though. I know you have movies you watch without me, things you don't share with me."

Danny scoffed a little. "Well, there's the stuff you laugh at, babe, so, uh, yeah." And he hadn't thought that through well, because Steve looked hurt. "Hey, hey, I just mean..." and he broke off to sigh. "Ok. Look. Yeah, I like some more... emotional things sometimes. Bond's great and all, and Craig's films especially get rather emotional, I grant you. But I do like a tearjerker sometimes. Or a good love story. Or just something other than an action movie."

Steve was nodding. "Right, so that's what I want to know. I want you to share those with me." He looked at Danny so openly, so pleadingly, Danny found himself swallowing at the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. 

"Ok, babe." He smiled, and was rewarded with a sweet kiss. “But let’s start easy, alright? I’ll work you up to the really emotive stuff.” And Danny was a little worried Steve might take that the wrong way. “Because babe,” he explained, “I need you to be comfortable, ok? I’m not going to do something, even something you think you want, without being concerned about that.” He took a deep breath and made sure Steve was looking in his eyes. “I am not going to mess this up, ok? And, yeah, I’m maybe going to be a bit overly concerned about that, but you have to let me, ok?” And Steve nodded and looked more comfortable after that, and Danny leaned in to kiss him. “Ok, good. For right now, let’s stick with _Skyfall_ , because that’s actually got some good emotional stuff in it.”

Danny thought about pausing the movie in a couple places to talk about Bond’s emotional issues, but despite what Steve had said, Danny wasn’t really up for pushing him too hard. They had enough going on at the moment they needed to deal with, and Danny figured that his having pointed out that there were emotional themes in the action film might be a good start, in and of itself.

Steve had planned to grill wings for dinner, and he'd started the marinade before they went out on the board. Danny refused to eat something as messy as wings out on the sand, so they laid a blanket on the grass, and yeah, Danny was thinking about having the kids there, and he was loving that idea so much, he was sure it was written all over his face. What's more, he was positive Steve was thinking the same thing, and that was making it awfully difficult to avoid blinking and swallowing a lot. Fortunately, with Steve's apparent ability to sense Danny's slide towards gloom about not having his kids more of the time, he found himself pulled back to the present, with touches, soft kisses, and just that incessant tug on his being that Steve’s focus on him created. 

The wings were wonderful—just spicy enough without being too spicy, and Steve had made a creamy, coconutty rum drink that killed the remaining heat and made Danny (though he would have denied it) feel like he was on vacation.

After they ate, they lay back on the grass, Danny using Steve as a pillow. It had been a beautiful day, but he was feeling a little like he was coming down from the clouds, and there was one little bit of reality he really wanted to address. He propped himself up on an elbow and turned to look at Steve.

“So... you, ah...?” Danny managed, hoping Steve would know what he was getting at, feeling more than a little uncomfortable talking about this with his best friend.

Steve, predictably, smirked. “Navy man, Daniel,” he replied, sweetly, and completely unhelpfully.

“That’s your answer for everything, isn’t it?” He might have sounded a little peevish, which, oddly might have been the correct tactic, because Steve switched gears swiftly.

“Hey, Danny, I’m sorry.” He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Danny’s lips. “Yeah. A few times, before Cath. Before you.” He laughed. “I, uh, almost did once, not that long ago... cute, short, blond... but he wasn’t you, and as soon as I realized that, well.” He blushed, and it happened rarely enough that Danny treasured it. He also might have smirked, which was not lost on Steve. “Yeah, enjoy that, will you?” And Steve kissed him again. Then he pulled back and looked at Danny softly, kindly. “You?”

Danny sighed. Rubbed his face in his hands. “I, uh... in college,” he gestured vaguely, “obviously, as they say.” He looked kind of sheepish. “But, after Rachel... I kind of went off women for a while.” And he smiled ruefully, but then he softened. “Almost got serious with someone,” and gosh, he hadn’t thought about that in a long time. “But, uh, then I moved here.” He sighed. But then he looked at Steve. “Met you,” gestured a dramatic world-changing-event kind of thing, “And, uh, my life’s never been the same since.” He bit back a smile, but couldn’t hide the love in his eyes, even if he’d tried.

“I knew you loved me,” Steve smiled, clearly enjoying this conversation a little too much.

Danny laughed. “Yeah, no, I hated you,” he poked Steve in the chest. “I really hated you,” but he was smiling.

“Naw, you loved me, right from the beginning.” And he kind of ducked his head, almost as if he was embarrassed.

A light bulb went off in Danny’s head. “Oh my God, did _you_?” Danny’s jaw dropped. He laid back, leaning on his elbows, completely bemused. “I always thought you were just teasing me.”

Steve looked at him through lowered lashes, sheepish, shy, and yeah, blushing. He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and took a deep breath, then looked, intently, at Danny.

Danny looked back, wide eyed, at Steve. He felt like his whole universe was changing before his eyes. “You didn’t really...?” He suddenly was having a hard time swallowing around his emotions. He sat forward and moved towards Steve. “Oh, babe. Why didn’t you ever say anything?” In response, all he got were raised eyebrows and a skeptical look. “Yeah, ok. But still.” He sighed, and pulled Steve in for a kiss. He allowed it to express what he wanted to say, but found he couldn’t, about how he felt about this news. He was pretty sure Steve got it. Eventually he pulled back, on a smile so warm and so fond, he felt almost like he was melting. “I love you, Steven.” Steve smiled so contentedly back at him, Danny was sure he was going to start crying again.

“So, now that we’ve cleared all that up, can we go to bed?” Steve seemed nervous, but excited, and a little impatient.

Danny laughed, and imagined enjoying this less-in-control version of Steve. He tried not to smirk when he smiled and said: “Yeah, let’s do that,” and he laughed again when Steve sprung to his feet.

Danny had been worried it would be a little awkward. After all, they’d been sleeping together completely (ok, mostly) non-sexually for so long. He’d never had that before, and there was part of his mind that suggested it was probably a really good sign for this relationship actually working. It didn’t mean he wasn’t worried at least a little about how the sex part would go... but they were so comfortable with each other’s bodies, and they knew each other so well, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by either of them how splendidly their bodies fitted together. So, when they fell in to bed with something other than sleeping or cuddling on their minds, it really wasn’t anything other than an extension of what they’d already been doing. And there wasn’t even any of the usual first-time-awkward-conversation—“Do you...” “Can I..?” “Is there....” Their ability to read each other, to know what the other was thinking, what move he was planning, all that skill they’d developed over the years really came into its own, so much so that Danny couldn’t help but think it had all been leading to this. Steve seemed to already know exactly what Danny liked, and judging from Steve’s reactions, Danny seemed to have similar powers. They brought each other off fairly quickly which was hardly surprising, but they just kept going, seamlessly, like it had been a prelude and not an ending, and just like with the kiss, it was impossible to know who initiated what, and there wasn’t any uncertainty or hesitation, and before he knew it he was opening Steve up, and it was as much about him as it was Steve, and it was completely different from any experience he’d ever had and he was utterly blown away by that, let alone the sensations of finally, _finally_ being as close as they could get, and it was like they were trying to fix themselves completely inside each other, to join in a way it seemed they’d always been heading for, and Danny had never cried before during sex, and he was pretty sure Steve hadn’t either, but as they came at the same time they found their eyes were wet, and they collapsed together and wiped themselves clean and kissed away the tears and they found themselves propelled by the release, both physical and emotional, to speak, finally, openly, clearly, of their love. Danny had never been one for poetry. Song lyrics were about as far as he went in terms of romantic lines. But phrases and expressions seemed to offer themselves up to him as he and Steve languidly traded endearments and promises, and he found that it felt so completely different from any other amorous scene he’d ever experienced... it was heightened and intensified, yet soft and sweet and tender. It was more than he ever would have imagined, more than he could have possibly hoped for, everything he never knew his heart needed. And he tried to say all of that to Steve, and he hoped he succeeded at least a little, but he vowed he would never stop trying, that he would make sure that Steve knew, every single day, just how much he meant to him. Just how much he loved him. Just how much he needed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. I hope that's an ok place from which to take a break for a bit..... I've got three (really lovely) good chapters for Part Seven, and two that are an absolute mess right now... and I just don't know how fast I'll be. It's totally possible I'll be faster than I think, but. It is possible that it will be a while before I post the next part. 
> 
> Just to say again, in case anyone's not seen this-- I've got Part Eight (the weekend with the kids) planned, and I even started some notes for Part Nine yesterday after replying to comments.... So, there's a lot more Doom and Gloom to come, never fear. :-)
> 
> Also-- for those who follow my other stories as well-- I have some TBM & BYS in progress.... but my mind has been so in D&G, it's been slow going. But I hope to get some up soon. I've also got another idea for a series that I've been really wanting to do that's really starting to itch..... So I might start that, too. (Ack!)
> 
> Anyhow.... Thank you thank you thank you for all the amazing and wonderful comments. They all mean so much to me..... I'm just so lucky to have such splendid readers! I send you all virtual pineapple mojitos. :-)


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